Material spreading and broadcasting device



Nov. 17, 1964 w. D. LOVE, JR ,1 ,4

MATERIAL SPREADING AND BROADCASTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 3, 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. William D. Love Jr.

% Attorney Nov. 17, 1964 w. D. LOVE, JR 3,157,402

MATERIAL SPREADING AND BROADCASTING DEVICE Filed Oct. 3} 1960 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. William D. Lve Jr.

Nov..17, 1964 w. D. LOVE, JR 3,157,402

MATERIAL SPREADING AND BROADCASTINGDEVICE Filed Oct. 3, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

. E William D. Love Jr.

United States Patent 3,157,4tl2 MAL-EL SPREADING AND EROADCATENG EEV'IQE i ve, 522, 2 38 2 Davis St, rinda, Calif.

Filed Get. 3, 196b, Se. No. 59,947 3 Sleim (Cl. 27512) The invention relates to portable manually held and manually operated devices used by gardeners for throwing out or broadcasting small particulate materials such as seeds, fertilizer pellets, and the like.

An object of the present invention is to provide a light weight and conveniently sized unit of the character described which is designed for easy handling and directing of the material being broadcast and for easy, smooth, quiet and efficient operation in effecting a uniform and widespread broadcastin of seeds, or pellets, or the like over lawns or other garden areas to be covered.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device of the character above in which the operating and high speed rotating parts are fully enclosed, shielded and protected from contact or engagement with the hands or other parts of the body of the user thereby protecting both the device and the user from accidental damage or injury.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a material spreading and broadcasting of the character above which is particularly designed for relatively low cost mass production from thermo-setting plastic by plastic injection molding methods.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which the foregoing will be set forth in the following description of the preferred form of the invention which is illustrated in the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification. It is to be understood, however, that variations in the showing made by the said drawings and description may be adopted within the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

Referring to said drawings (three sheets):

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a material spreading and broadcasting device constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a plan sectional view of the device taken substanitally on the plane of line 22 of FlGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical cross sectional view of the device taken substantially on the plane of line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional View taken at substantiahy right angles to Fl-GURE 3 and as suggested by the plane of line 44 of FIGURE 2.

Fl-GURE 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the portion indicated at line 55 of FIGURE 4.

FZGURE 6 is a plan sectional view taken substantially on the plane of line 6-6 of FEGURE 4.

FIGURE 7 is a plan sectional view taken substantially on the plane of line 7-7 of FIGURE 4.

FlGURE 8 is a fragmentary cross sectional view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing a modified form of construction.

The portable manually held and directed material spreading and broadcasting device of the present invention consists briefly of a housing 11 having a bottom wall 12 and a spaced superimposed substantially parallel interior Wall 13 and a peripheral side wall 14 connecting the bottom and interior walls 12 and 13 and defining therewith an impeller chamber 15, the peripheral wall 14 having an open section 17 providing a discharge opening for the impeller chamber 16, and impeller 18 mounted 3,157,452 Patented Nov. 17, 1964 in chamber 16 for rotation in a plane substantially parallel to walls 12 and 13, a manually engageable crank 19 journalled for rotation by the housing 11 and being connected to drive the impeller 13, see FIGURE 3, the intcrior wall 13 being positioned at the bottom of a material storage chamber 21 provided by the housing and having an opening 22 for the passage of material from chamber 21 to the impeller 18 for centrifugal discharge through the discharge opening 17.

As a feature of the present construction the housing 11 is formed with a closed interior gear chamber 23 which is formed in part by an interior vertically arranged wall 24, see FIGURE 3, which depends from the lower portion of side wall 14 and in generally parallel relation thereto to the transverse interior wall 13, and by a second horizontally arranged interior Wall 26 which extends laterally from side wall 14 between bottom and interior walls 12 and i3 and just over the top of impeller 13 and to a position just beyond the center plane of the device, see FIGURE 4, where the gear chamber is boxed in by a short vertical wall 27 connecting walls 13 and 26. Crank 19 is here journalled on side wall 14 opposite interior wall 24, see FIGURE 3, and is provided with a crank shaft 28 which projects horizontally into chamber 23. The impeller 13 is provided with a shaft 29 which extends vertically, centrally of the device and into the laterally extending portion 31 of the gear chamber. The gear train between crank shaft 28 and impeller shaft 29 here includes bevel gear 32 on shaft 28 which meshes with a bevel gear section 33 of a double gear member having a second gear section 34 enmeshed with gear 35 on shaft 29, the gear train 32-35 providing a substantial step-up in speed of rotation so that a relatively modest speed of rotation of crank 19 will provide a relatively high speed rotation of impeller 18. The latter is here composed of a flat disk-like bottom section 37 and a plurality of vanes or ribs 38 extending radially from a central hub portion 39, see FIGURE 7. Shaft 29 here extends centrally through the impeller hub 39 and is pinned or keyed to the impeller as illustrated and is similarly pinned or keyed to the hub of gear 35. The impeller shaft is here given a three bearing support in the three parallel wall sections 12, 26 and 13 so that the impeller 18 and gear 35 are provided an excellent coaxial support. jects through wall 13 and into the material storage chamber 21 and may be fitted with a crosspin or arm 41 for agitating and stirring the material in the hopper 21 to insure its continuous flow through opening 22. As will be best seen from FlGURES 2 and 4, opening 22 is provided just ofi center so that material dropping through the opening and onto the impeller will be picked up by the latter near its hub for centrifugal flinging of the material out through opening 17.

As here shown the unit is provided with a manually engageable handle 46 which extends laterally from one side of the housing approximately displaced from crank 19 and opposite, from the material discharge opening 17 so that the device may be conveniently held in the left hand and pointed generally to the area to be covered while the crank 19 is conveniently engaged in the right hand. Preferably also, and as here shown, a. manually adjustable closure member 47 is provided for movement to and from a position closing the inlet opening 22 for regulating the material flow through the unit; and in accordance with the present construction this closure member is under the control and operation of a finger engageable and displaceable operating member 48. Also, as will be seen in FIGURE 4, a spring 51 is connected to the closure member for normally urging the latter to a Preferably the upper end 41 of shaft 29 pro.-

closed position, and a manually adjustable means 52 is provided for limiting the extent of opening movement of the closure by the finger member 48 against the action of spring 51 to limit the maximum rate of discharge of material from the storage chamber into the impeller chamher. As here shown, the closure member 47 is provided in the form of a slide mounted for reciprocation at the underside of a downwardly sloping interior wall 53 which extends to adjacent the inlet opening 22 and aids in the directing of the granular material thereto. As will be seen in FIGURE 4 wall 53 extends angularly from the side wall 14 down to the transverse interior wall 13, thus defining an interior compartment 54 and as will be ob served, slide member 47 extends up through this compartment and into a hollow interior compartment 56 provided in handle 46. The upper end of the slide memher is here connected to one end of a lever 57 pivoted intermediate its length on a crosspin 58 carried by the handle. As will be observed, spring 51 is connected between the lever 57 and a body portion of the handle. On the closure side of the pivot 58 while finger member 48 is slidably mounted for vertical reciprocation in the handle 46 for engagement with the opposite end portion of lever 57. The adjustment means 52 is here composed of a screw member threaded through a section of the handle and bearing at its inner end on the slide connected end of lever 57. Sufficient play is preferably provided in the hinge joint 59 between lever 57 and slide 47 to provide smooth reciprocation of the slide by the finger member 48 and spring 51 or, if desired, the slide 47 may be made sufficiently flexible to accommodate the small circular orbit of movement of the joint 59.

A modified form of construction is illustrated in FIG- URE 8 wherein spring 51a for returning slide closure 47a to closed position across inlet opening 22a is mounted within compartment 54a and is connected at one end to an ear 61 on wall 13a forming the bottom of the'com partment 54a and at its other end to a laterally projecting ear 62 on the slide member 47a. Otherwise, the parts in this embodiment are identical with those in the above described embodiment. As will be observed from the drawings the design of the unit is particularly arranged for makingup in sections which may be readily formed by injection molding from thermo-setting plastic. The several sections when attached will form the generally rectangular open top body as illustrated. A lid or cover 66 is provided for the material storage chamber 21 and as here shown the cover may be formed with a peripheral lip 67 and depending skirt 68 for fitting upon and within the upper end of the side wall of the container as seen in FIGURE 4. Preferably, the side wall 14 of the unit is provided with a circular interior section 71 in the impeller chamber 16, see FIGURE 7, so as to provide a circular enclosure for the circular impeller 18, it being noted that this circular wall section is deleted over a portion of the periphery to define the open section discharge opening 17.

I claim:

1. A material spreading and broadcasting device comprising, a housing having bottom, side and internal walls formed and connected to define a bottom impeller chamber, superimposed gear and material storage chambers, a first material discharge opening between said storage and impeller chambers, and a second material discharge opening for said impeller chamber; said gear chamber being of L shape having a horizontally disposed portion located between said impeller chamber and said material storage chamber, and a vertical portion extending from said horizontal portion; a hand crank journalled on said side wall and having a shaft extending into said vertical portion; an impeller mounted .in said impeller chamber and having a vertical shaft extending into said horizontal portion; gears mounted in said gear chamber and connecting said crank and vertical shaft; a first interior wall in said storage chamber sloping downwardly to adjacent through the upper end of said closure member extendingv into said handle compartment; a finger engageable and displaceable operating member carried by said handle and extending into said handle compartment; means in said handle compartment connecting said upper end of said closure member and said finger engaging member for 'ilow regulating displacement of said closure member by said finger member; spring means biasing said closure member to flow restricting position; and manually adjustable means carried by said handle and extending into said handle compartment for engagement with said closure member for limiting the extent of opening movement thereof by said finger engageable operating member to limit the maximum rate of discharge of material from said storage chamber into said impeller chamber.

2. A material spreading and broadcasting device comprising, side walls defining a housing, a pair of spaced generally parallel internal Walls extending transversely from a first side wall and terminating at ends spaced from an opposed second side wall, a connecting wall secured between said two ends to define a horizontalgear chamber between said internal and connecting walls and to define a free fall chamber intermediate said connecting wall and said spaced opposed side wall, said side walls and upper one of said internal walls defining anupper material storage chamber disposed above said horizontal gear chamber and free fall chamber, an inner side wall spaced from a third of said housing side walls which interconnect said first two side walls and secured to said upper internal wall to define a vertical gear chamber communicating with said horizontal gear chamber, a bottom wall extending transversely from one of said housing side walls and spaced below the lower one of .said internal walls to define an impeller chamber disposed immediately below said horizontal gear chamber and free fall chamber, an impeller mounted in said impeller chamber subjacent said horizontal and free fall chambers, a vertical shaft secured to said impeller and extending through said lower internal wall into said horizontal chamber, a handcrank journalled on said third side wall and having a shaftextending transversely therethrough into said vertical gear chamber, gears mounted in said gear chambers operatively connecting said impeller shaft and crank shaft,

said pair of internal walls and first side wall and connecting wall and inner side wall and third side wall providing a sealed enclosure for said gear chambers, means defining a variable openingintermediate said free fall and storage chambers for selectively regulating and restricting flow of material from said storage chamber into said free fall chamber; a manually engageable handle mounted exteriorly on said second housing side wall and having a generally elongated portion spaced outwardly from said second side wall generally vertical and parallel therewith and an upper portion connected'to an upper portion of said second Wall, and a finger engageable and displaceable operating member carried by said handle adjacent said upper portion thereof and connected to said means bers, a closure member mounted on said sloping wall for generally reciprocal parallel movement thereon and having a lower end movable across said discharge opening for regulating flow of material therethrough, said handle having a hollow compartment in said upper portion thereof, said compartment communicating with the region adjacent the underside of said sloping wall, connecting means extending through said region and compartment linking said closure member to said operating member for selectively moving said closure member over said opening in response to actuation of said operating member, resilient means normally urging said closure member into a flow restricting position closing 011 said opening, and manually adjust-able means carried by said handle and extending into said handle compartment for limiting the extent of opening movement of said closure member to limit the maximum rate of discharge of material from said storage chamber into said free fall chamber.

References Qited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. A MATERIAL SPREADING AND BROADCASTING DEVICE COMPRISING, A HOUSING HAVING BOTTOM, SIDE AND INTERNAL WALLS FORMED AND CONNECTED TO DEFINE A BOTTOM IMPELLER CHAMBER, SUPERIMPOSED GEAR AND MATERIAL STORAGE CHAMBERS, A FIRST MATERIAL DISCHARGE OPENING BETWEEN SAID STORAGE AND IMPELLER CHAMBERS, AND A SECOND MATERIAL DISCHARGE OPENING FOR SAID IMPELLER CHAMBER; SAID GEAR CHAMBER BEING OF L SHAPE HAVING A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED PORTION LOCATED BETWEEN SAID IMPELLER CHAMBER AND SAID MATERIAL STORAGE CHAMBER, AND A VERTICAL PORTION EXTENDING FROM SAID HORIZONTAL PORTION; A HAND CRANK JOURNALLED ON SAID SIDE WALL AND HAVING A SHAFT EXTENDING INTO SAID VERTICAL PORTION; AN IMPELLER MOUNTED IN SAID IMPELLER CHAMBER AND HAVING A VERTICAL SHAFT EXTENDING INTO SAID HORIZONTAL PORTION; GEARS MOUNTED IN SAID GEAR CHAMBER AND CONNECTING SAID CRANK AND VERTICAL SHAFT; A FIRST INTERIOR WALL IN SAID STORAGE CHAMBER SLOPING DOWNWARDLY TO ADJACENT SAID FIRST OPENING AND DEFINING WITH SAID SIDE WALL AN INTERIOR COMPARTMENT; A MANUALLY ENGAGEABLE HANDLE MOUNTED ON SAID HOUSING SIDE WALL AND HAVING A HOLLOW COMPARTMENT IN REGISTRATION WITH SAID LAST NAMED INTERIOR COMPARTMENT; A CLOSURE MEMBER MOUNTED IN SAID INTERIOR COMPARTMENT FOR RECIPROCAL MOVEMENT PARALLEL TO SAID INTERIOR WALL AND HAVING AN INTERIOR LOWER END MOVEABLE ON RECIPROCATION OF SAID MEMBER ACROSS SAID FIRST DISCHARGE OPENING FOR REGULATING THE FLOW OF MATERIAL THERETHROUGH THE UPPER END OF SAID CLOSURE MEMBER EXTENDING INTO SAID HANDLE COMPARTMENT; A FINGER ENGAGEABLE AND 